Pendragon leads way as retailer stocks stabilize.(News)(Inchcape PLC; earnings)(Brief Article)

Byline: Sylviane de Saint-Seine

Retailers were the only automotive stocks to hold steady in the first quarter. The UK, the home market for most publicly held dealer groups, became Europe's largest and most resilient market in March.

UK sales rose 3.4 percent in March, compared with an overall rise of 2.4 percent in the 17 west European countries. With 438,000 passenger car registrations in the month, the UK total was well ahead of Germany's 318,000.

Pendragon topped the retail segment, with a 7.3 percent improvement in share price in the first quarter. The UK's largest ...